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December 11, 2024

The Presidential Transition & The Environment

President-elect Donald Trump’s picks for leadership agency roles have revealed an unsettling pattern: Many nominees have limited experience or disqualifying track records.

By prioritizing loyalty above genuine qualifications, Trump is signaling disinterest in the mission of these institutions and an intention to weaken them along the lines of the Project 2025 blueprint.

Learn about key nominees in the Trump administration’s second term, and the powers they will have:

Office of Management & Budget

Nominee for Director of OMB
Is situated within the White House and oversees the federal budget, federal rulemaking, and the federal workforce

Russell Vought

Coauthor of Project 2025 and budget director from Trump’s first term

  • In a private speech in 2023, Vought described his goal of defunding the EPA so it can no longer regulate the energy industry.
  • Vought drafted a section of Project 2025 that calls for radically undermining the National Environmental Policy Act, the bedrock law that ensures you have a voice in major projects impacting your community.
  • During his first stint as budget director, Vought pushed for a policy change known as “Schedule F” that would remove job protections for thousands of nonpartisan civil servants and leave them vulnerable to politically-based firing. (The Biden administration reversed this change before it went into effect.)

Each year, OMB prepares the multitrillion-dollar budget proposal that the president puts forward to Congress.

  • This includes the President’s proposed funding levels for each federal agency, including those that regulate the environment and health.
  • Funding and staffing levels impact the capacity of government to do everything from keeping toxic chemicals out of consumer products to ensuring our air is healthy and our water is safe to drink.

Congress ultimately decides on the budget. But the Trump administration will have sway with Republicans who control both chambers of Congress. And in its oversight capacity, OMB can influence the headcount of federal agencies. It also plays a role in setting federal workforce policy. That could include orchestrating mass layoffs, which Vought has said he will push for.

In addition, OMB oversees the federal regulatory process. Federal agencies make rules that give specific, concrete shape to important but general laws like the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act. OMB reviews these rules and determines whether their benefits justify their costs.

Specifically, Vought plans to reinstate Schedule F, which would convert tens of thousands of civil service jobs to political employees.

  • Civil servants have significant job protections; political employees, however, are easily fireable.
  • The reclassified roles could include scientists with expertise in everything from climate to air pollution.

At Earthjustice, we look to federal agencies to make fair, fact-based decisions. This requires gathering scientific data, public comments, and findings of fact as the basis for decisions — and that takes skilled staff with enough job protection to follow the science.

Under the last Trump administration, we went to court to fight the illegal removal of independent science advisors from the EPA, and we won. We are prepared to stand up for science again.

“We will challenge lawless actions at every turn to prevent the Trump administration from dismantling critical protections that we all depend on for our health, our safety, and our future.”

Department of the Interior

Nominee for Interior Secretary
Oversees management of substantial amount of public lands, wildlife, natural resource development

Doug Burgum

Governor of North Dakota with longstanding ties to fossil fuel companies

  • In 2017, Burgum said that a goal of doubling oil production in North Dakota “may be too low."
  • Burgum also helped arrange a Mar-a-Lago meeting with wealthy oil and gas executives where Donald Trump offered to overturn dozens of environmental rules and regulations in exchange for $1 billion in campaign contributions.
  • Burgum has spoken out against the Inflation Reduction Act, Biden’s signature climate bill.
  • He also praised the Supreme Court for overturning the 40-year-old Chevron deference doctrine. That decision undermines the ability of expert federal agencies and Congress to act and instead transfers an inordinate amount of power to judges.
  • Through a dozen agencies under its purview, the Interior Department administers national parks, wildlife refuges, historic landmarks, and offshore territories of the outer continental shelf.
  • The Interior Department also oversees resource development of the public lands it manages by industries such as mining, fossil fuel, and timber industries.

This broad set of responsibilities means that the Secretary of the Interior will strongly influence how the federal government protects our public lands from industries looking to drill, mine, and log for profit.

Here are some ways the Interior Department affects you:

1. Endangered species protection

  • If you’ve ever been electrified by the sight of a wolf in the wild or a bald eagle soaring overhead, consider the role the Interior Department plays in protecting wildlife.
  • The Interior Department, through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is tasked with ensuring the survival of thousands of endangered species, such as wolves and grizzly bears, and conserving their ecosystems.

2. Manages cherished public lands, waters, and national parks

  • The Interior Department, through the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. National Park Service, manages iconic national parks, national monuments, and other public lands for recreation, conservation, and historic preservation purposes.

3. Fracking and mining on public lands

  • Even if you live nowhere near oil or gas drilling operations on public lands, climate change impacts everyone. Through its Bureau of Land Management, the Interior Department regulates where and how industry may extract fossil fuels from public lands — including overseeing leases for surface mining or oil and gas drilling.
  • The oil and gas industry has more than 23 million acres of federal land under lease. These leases lock us into decades of dirty energy and climate-heating pollution: Roughly a quarter of the nation’s total climate emissions come from extracting, transporting, and burning fossil fuels on public land.

4. Offshore oil and gas drilling

  • Through its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Interior Department manages how and when ocean waters surrounding U.S. coastlines are used for oil and gas drilling.
  • Offshore oil drilling can have a severe effect on coastal tourism, fishing, and wildlife — as exemplified during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010, which caused irreversible harm to the Gulf of Mexico.

5. Relationships with Tribal governments

  • Through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior Department sets the tone for the federal government’s relationships with Native American Tribal governments.

When the government fails to follow national environmental laws, Earthjustice takes the agencies responsible to court.

Given the range of threats facing the country’s natural resources, the decisions made by the Secretary of the Interior could have far-reaching ramifications for generations to come.

“The Interior Secretary is entrusted with protecting our shared lands and waters, now and for future generations, but Governor Burgum is poised to prioritize reckless development above all else.

“We can’t double down on drilling and habitat loss in the face of runaway climate change and extinctions. We stand ready to go to court to protect our wildlands and waters from extractive industries and safeguard the interests of Tribal communities threatened by development they oppose.”

Department of Energy

Nominee for Energy Secretary
Responsible for managing U.S. nuclear infrastructure and carrying out national energy policy

Chris Wright

CEO of Colorado-based fracking company Liberty Energy. Has never worked in government or held public office

Chris Wright has been critical of government efforts to fight climate change and transition to clean energy, including the Energy Department’s goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

"There is no such thing as clean energy or dirty energy," Wright said last year.

The Energy Department plays a pivotal role in subsidizing — or not — dirty fuels, and funds crucial clean energy research, development, and cutting-edge projects. It also handles the environmental cleanup of the national nuclear weapons complex.

Here’s how the Energy Department impacts you:

1. Advances a cleaner, more efficient energy system

  • Advances clean energy solutions to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and cut climate-warming emissions.
  • As climate change brings more extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, flooding, and wildfires, the Energy Department is also responsible for making our energy system more resilient to these hazards.
  • Sets energy efficiency standards for homes, appliances, and other equipment, helping to reduce energy costs.

2. Funds crucial technological innovations in clean energy

  • Uses research and development programs, project financing, and workforce development to secure our leadership in clean energy and energy efficiency.
  • Makes early-stage investments and authorizes loan guarantees for potentially transformative clean energy technologies.
  • Funds and oversees the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which is dedicated to research, development, commercialization, and deployment of technologies essential to a clean energy transition.

3. Manages nuclear waste

  • Manages the U.S. nuclear infrastructure and handles the safe disposal of nuclear waste to keep communities and the environment safe.
  • For example, we took the Energy Department to court for failing to meet deadlines for reviewing and updating more than two dozen energy efficiency standards as required by law, while also weakening existing standards and making future standards less effective.
  • We also fought back against efforts by the first Trump administration’s Energy Department to bail out coal executives and prop up aging and unprofitable coal plants.

Earthjustice’s legal work aims to cut carbon emissions and to accelerate the shift from dirty to clean energy.

We look to the Energy Department for crucial scientific and technological innovations in clean energy and energy efficiency so we can rapidly transition to a clean energy economy and cut carbon emissions.

“We will use the courts and every tool at our disposal to spur the imperative clean energy transition that is already underway.”

Environmental Protection Agency

Nominee for EPA Administrator
Nation’s top administrator of environmental laws

Lee Zeldin

Former Congressman with a thin record on environmental issues

During his four terms in Congress representing Long Island, N.Y., Lee Zeldin:

  • Voted to end Clean Air Act standards
  • Opposed the Inflation Reduction Act, the landmark climate investment law
  • Proposed repealing New York's ban on fracking for natural gas and approving new gas pipelines in 2022

Zeldin was a member of the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus and Conservative Climate Caucus, as well as the bipartisan PFAS Task Force.

See Zeldin's Congressional Scorecard from the League of Conservation Voters on each of his votes in Congress.

The EPA's publicly stated mission is “to ensure that all Americans are protected from significant risks to human health and the environment where they live, learn and work.”

Here is how the EPA affects you:

1. Through the Clean Air Act, the EPA crafts national air quality standards to control pollutants coming from industry and other sources that are harmful to people and the environment.

  • The more stringent the standards are, the cleaner the air we breathe.
  • To manage air pollution levels, the EPA is tasked with ensuring that states have plans in place to maintain or attain appropriate air quality.

2. Under the Clean Water Act, the EPA regulates discharges of pollutants into bodies of water and sets quality standards for surface waters.

  • The EPA ensures industries or other entities without a permit don’t release pollution into navigable waters. If polluters violate environmental rules, the EPA can levy fines or shut down projects.
  • As with air quality, the more stringent the water standard, the cleaner the water the country has.
  • The agency also ensures drinking water is safe, and protects and restores oceans, watersheds, and aquatic ecosystems.

3. The EPA is an investigative and research body that releases information on emissions, industry pollution, or chemicals to warn the public about risks.

  • In doing so, the EPA also updates previously issued information with the latest scientific research to make sure rules reflect current knowledge about environmental threats.
  • The EPA also conducts and supervises investigation and clean-up actions at sites where oil or other toxic chemicals have been released or could be released.

Although the EPA is not a Cabinet-level agency, the EPA Administrator traditionally sits alongside the 15 Secretaries in the president's cabinet.

Earthjustice also makes sure that protections safeguarding our air, water, and environment are revised when needed, or kept strong when challenged by industry.

New sources of pollution are constantly emerging and given the reality that climate change is worsening at an alarming rate, a bold EPA led by an environmentally responsible administrator is essential to keeping our air clean, our water clear, and our environment safe.

Lee Zeldin has very little experience on environmental issues.

Trump’s pick signals that the administration aims to further his deregulatory agenda by weakening the agency’s power and putting industry interests above clean air, clean water, and public health.

We need robust environmental protections to hold violators accountable in court and to keep our air clean, our water clear, and our environment safe.

Do I have a voice in the nominations process?

Yes! Under normal circumstances, your senators will be voting whether to confirm these nominations in the early days of the new administration. Voice your concerns with your senators during the upcoming confirmation process.

As the leading public interest environmental law organization, Earthjustice is deeply concerned about how these appointments will impact our work fighting climate change, protecting clean air and water, and preserving biodiversity.

With our 200-plus attorneys, Earthjustice is prepared to push back in court on illegal efforts to gut agencies that safeguard our planet and health. We will hold the administration and Congress accountable to our bedrock environmental laws.

Photo Credits: Lee Zeldin (Matt Rourke / AP). Doug Burgum (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images). Chris Wright (Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA 2.0). Russell Vought (Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc., via Getty Images).

Policy and Legislation Team

Established in 1989, Earthjustice's Policy & Legislation team works with champions in Congress to craft legislation that supports and extends our legal gains.